As one of air conditioning techniques for a compartment of vehicles, various dehumidification and humidification techniques utilizing water vapor-adsorbing and desorbing functions of an adsorbent have been studied in order to make the compartment of vehicles more comfortable and contemplate saving of energy. As to such techniques, there has been proposed the “air conditioning method for a compartment of vehicles” in which when dry air outside of the compartment is introduced and blown off toward window glass for preventing fogging of the window glass while circulating air inside of the compartment, for example, in the winter season, water being present in a part of the air which is discharged from an inside of the compartment to outside is captured with an adsorbent such as activated carbon and zeolite, and the thus captured water is returned to the compartment to prevent drying of the compartment.
In the above air conditioning method, while rotating a so-called adsorption rotor having an air-permeable cylindrical honeycomb structure on which an adsorbent is supported, at a constant speed, water is adsorbed in the adsorbent when a part of the adsorption rotor passes through a predetermined adsorption region (air passage for discharging air in the compartment to outside), and the adsorbent is heated by air heated by an electric heater when the part of the adsorption rotor passes through a predetermined desorption region (air passage for circulating the air in the compartment), thereby allowing the water adsorbed in the adsorbent to be desorbed therefrom.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (KOKAI) No. 2000-142096
In addition, as the dehumidifying and humidifying techniques, in order to contemplate saving of energy for a cooling air conditioner (cooler) and feed dehumidified comfortable air to passenger side, there has been proposed the “air conditioner” in which an air passage is divided into two air ducts each provided at opposite ends thereof with an air intake port and an air discharge port, by a partition, and a heat exchanger and a moisture-adsorbing member (adsorption rotor) are successively disposed so as to span between the two air ducts.
In the above air conditioner, the air passing through one of the air ducts is cooled by the heat exchanger, whereas the air passing through the other of the air ducts is heated by the heat exchanger. The moisture-adsorbing member is rotated or pivoted between the two air ducts to repeat adsorption and desorption operations. The air dehumidified by passing through the one of the air ducts is fed to the compartment, whereas the air humidified by passing through the other of the air ducts is discharged outside of the compartment. The heat exchanger comprises a Peltier element having a heat-absorbing portion and a radiating portion which are each provided with a heat transfer portion. The air passing through the one of the air ducts is cooled by the heat transfer portion on the side of the heat-absorbing portion of the Peltier element, and the air passing through the other of the air ducts is heated by the heat transfer portion on the side of the radiating portion of the Peltier element to thereby supply to the moisture-absorbing member, cold heat required for promoting the adsorption operation and warm heat required for promoting the desorption operation.
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (KOKAI) No. 2000-146220